National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines throughout our lives.

Back-to-school season is here. It’s time for parents to gather school supplies and backpacks. It’s also the perfect time to make sure your children are up to date on their vaccines.

To celebrate the importance of immunizations for people of all ages and make sure children are protected with all the vaccines they need as they go back to school, the Manitowoc County Immunization Coalition is joining with partners nationwide in recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month.

Getting children all of the vaccines recommended by CDC’s immunization schedule is one of the most important things parents can do to protect their children from serious diseases. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to check with your child’s doctor to find out what vaccines your child needs.

Vaccines protect against a number of serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk for diseases and can also spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community, including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems as a result of cancer or other health conditions.

Talk to your child’s doctor to find out which vaccines are recommended for them before going back to school. Parents may find out more about the recommended vaccines at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/.

Contact the Manitowoc County Health Department at 920-683-4155.

Nancy Cohen

Manitowoc

Author had it wrong

In response to Deborah Douglas’ “Beer Summit” commentary in the July 7 print edition of the Herald Times Reporter — while the theme of the article is that President Barack Obama is not properly addressing the problem of race in America, several statements by the author call for a response.

She states that George Zimmerman “… got away with killing Trayvon Martin.” Zimmerman had called in to report someone — Martin — who was suspiciously walking through back yards. We don’t know how they came to blows, but a witness recounted how Martin — the bigger man — was on top of Zimmerman pounding him. Zimmerman did receive lacerations to the back of his head. The point is, Zimmerman did not get away with anything. He exercised his right to self-defense. He was cleared of all charges.

Next, she cited the case of a white policeman, James Crowley, who arrested a black professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., outside Gates’ home. Someone had called the police when they saw a suspicious man outside Gates’ house. Gates didn’t have his house key and, at first, refused to identify himself to Crowley. It seems to me the officer acted properly under those circumstances and it was, in fact, Obama who acted stupidly for criticizing an officer doing his duty.